Work to Resume on Flatbush Avenue Center Bus Lanes

The city Department of Transportation will restart construction on another long-gestating street redesign in the last week of April by continuing to install bus lanes down Flatbush Avenue.

The project, which was first floated by former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration in 2022, encompasses painting center-running bus lanes on the thoroughfare between Livingston Street and Grand Army Plaza. It will also see the city construct six concrete islands up and down the stretch of Flatbush Avenue where riders can wait to board the bus.

The redesign will also feature nearly 29,000 feet of new pedestrian space, 11 dedicated loading zones, and 14 bike parking areas.

DOT broke ground on the project last fall, between Livingston and State streets, but had to suspend work as the winter weather rolled in.

The undertaking is designed to boost bus speeds on the corridor by giving them a dedicated lane, separated from private vehicle traffic. The lane will be enforced by bus-mounted and stationary cameras operated by the MTA and DOT, respectively.

“These center-running bus lanes will give New Yorkers back something precious: time with their families, time at work, time in their communities,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “Long waits and unreliable service are not inevitable — they are the result of political choices. Today, we are choosing a system that puts bus riders first and builds safer streets for everyone.”

Bus speeds on the street can be as slow as four miles per hour, according to the city. A 2024 survey conducted by the advocacy group Riders Alliance found that 91 percent of riders experienced delays on Flatbush Avenue in 2023.

The redesign will primarily serve the B41, among the borough’s most crowded routes, as well as the B67, B69, B63, B45, and B103. Taken together, the buses on Flatbush Avenue move 132,000 daily riders.

“Often it is as fast to walk as it is to take a bus on Flatbush Avenue — and with over 100,000 riders relying on the bus to get around, that must change,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said. “The new Flatbush Avenue offers a bold blueprint to speed up buses and deliver safer streets.”

The city expects construction to last through the summer and into the fall. The agency is encouraging drivers to use alternative routes, public transit, or allow for extra travel time.

The agency will conduct the project in four phases, which will allow private vehicle traffic on the road during construction. DOT will reconstruct one side of the street at a time to allow two-way traffic on the other.

The redesign was applauded by transit advocates, who said it would not only speed up buses on Flatbush Avenue but also make the street safer for all who use it.

“Dedicated lanes down the center of the spine of Brooklyn show us the respect and dignity we deserve,” said Riders Alliance Organizer Jolyse Race in a statement.

“Boarding islands transform the street with demonstrated safety benefits and prove that much better buses are possible all across New York,” she added.

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in amNY. Click here to see the original story.

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